Kerala CM rules out re-investigation in Suryanelli rape case

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Oomen Chandy on Friday ruled out re-investigation in the Suryanelli gangrape case. The state government had on Wednesday received a legal opinion that there was no need to re-investigate the case as the victim was repeating the charge she had earlier raised and there was nothing in her new revelation.

There was no new material available that required a re-probe and the victim had only repeated her old complaint, said the legal opinion report submitted by the State Public Prosecutor. The Kerala government had sought legal opinion in the wake of the girl sticking to her charge that Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien was one among those who molested her in Thiruvananthapuram at the Kumali guest house in 1996.

Earlier in the day, Kerala Police arrested Dharmarajan - the absconding convict who said that Kurien was involved in the case.

The opposition Left Democratic Front (LDF) led by the CPM had demanded a re-investigation into the alleged involvement of Kurien in the case in the wake of the victim's new disclosure after the Supreme Court verdict last week. Kurien has already rejected the charge and the opposition's demand for his resignation, saying it was a matter which had already been cleared by the Supreme Court.

The girl from Suryanelli in Idukki district was abducted in January 1996 and transported from place to place across Kerala and sexually exploited by 42 men. The victim had sent a letter to the Supreme Court last week, seeking a review of the top court's order quashing all charges against Kurien.

Meanwhile, Dharmarajan - the absconding convict in the gangrape case who had claimed that Kurien went with him to the guest house where the girl was raped - was on Friday arrested by the Kerala Police from Sagar in Karnataka. The third accused in the 17-year old gangrape case was arrested by a five-member special team of Kerala Police, Kottayam Superintendent of Police C Rajagopal said. Speaking to a Malayalam TV channel from undisclosed location a few days ago, Dharmarajan, who has gone into hiding after jumping bail, had alleged that Kurien was involved in the case as charged by the victim.